Microsoft fixes bug blocking Windows 11 Photos from starting

Microsoft has fixed a known issue preventing the Microsoft Photos app from starting on some Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2 systems.

The bug only appears after updating to Microsoft Photos app version 2024.11050.29009.0 and above via the Windows Store (on or after June 4, 2024).

"On launching the app, it might display a spinning circle, after which it might disappear. If you have the Procmon monitoring tool installed in your device, this error might display as Access Denied error on Process Exit ('Exit Status: -2147024891')," the company said.

This known issue affects devices where the BlockNonAdminUserInstall Configuration Service provider (CSP) and the"Prevent non-admin users from installing packaged Windows apps" policies are enabled.

However, devices running Windows Home editions are unlikely to be impacted because home users are less likely to enable these two policies.

"This issue was resolved by Photos app version 2024.11070.15005.0 and newer, released to the Microsoft Store on July 17, 2024," Microsoft said in a Windows release health dashboard update.

"Windows devices will automatically download the updated Photos application over the following weeks without user or admin interaction."

Affected users can also manually download the latest Photos app version from the official Microsoft Store page or click "Get updates" in the Microsoft Store.

Microsoft also shared a temporary workaround for customers who cannot upgrade the app via the Store, which requires installing the latest Windows App SDK released during the July Patch Tuesday.

Last week, Redmond fixed two more Windows 11 issues causing update problems when using Windows Update automation scripts and triggering reboot loops and taskbar problems after installing the June KB5039302 preview update.

On Monday, the company also confirmed that the June Windows Server updates are breaking the Microsoft 365 Defender network data reporting (NDR) service, preventing Defender features like Incident Response and Device Inventory from working correctly on Windows Server 2022 systems.